ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley women's lacrosse team is looking to win the program's first conference title since 2019 this week as they enter the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Championship as the second seed.
 
LVC (11-6, 6-1 MAC Freedom) will host third-seeded Misericordia University (7-8, 5-2 MAC Freedom on Wednesday evening at Arnold Field with the game scheduled for a 6 p.m. first draw. Top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology (14-3, 7-0 MAC Freedom) will host fourth-seeded Arcadia University (9-8, 4-3 MAC Freedom) in the other semifinal on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Hoboken, New Jersey. The winners will meet on Saturday for the title at the site of the higher seed. The Dutchmen used a big first half to defeat the Cougars 18-10 in the regular season meeting two weeks ago in Annville. LVC also earned a 14-11 victory over Arcadia and were defeated by Stevens 19-2 on Saturday. Stevens has won every conference game by 13 or more goals. They defeated Arcadia 19-2 and Misericordia 21-2 earlier this month.
 
Ticket prices for each match are set by the MAC office and are as follows:
Adults - $8
Seniors (65+) - $6
Youth (7-17) - $6
MAC Students w/ ID - Free
6 and under w/ adult – Free
*LVC and Arnold Field is a cash only facility. No cards will be accepted.
 
Emily Beard leads the Dutchmen in scoring with 85 points on 65 goals and 20 assists. The senior has four game-winning goals and 13 free-position goals with 24 ground balls and 51 draw controls. She is second in the conference in goals per conference game with 4.43 and fourth in points per conference game with 5.43. Alyssa Wene is second on the team with 63 points on 54 goals and nine assists. The junior has five game-winning goals, including two in overtime, with 14 on free position shots, 31 ground balls, and 60 draw controls. Erin Zieber is five draw controls away from the program record in a season with 108. The midfielder has 27 goals and five assists for 32 points while picking up 33 ground balls and causing 11 turnovers.
 
Bethany Cohee was second in the conference with 16 assists during the seven conference games and was third on the team in total points with 44 on 12 goals and 32 assists. Elizabeth Morgan is having a great rookie season with 31 points on 12 goals and 19 assists. Anna Lougee gives the Dutchmen another threat to score with her 25 goals and two assists this year. The senior scored four goals three times this year. Molly Whisler adds 16 points on 13 goals and three assists. Kyla Hebert has seen action in 13 games and has three points on two goals and an assist.
 
The Dutchmen defense finished second in the conference with 79 goals allowed in conference games and had the second-best margin at 3.4 behind Steven's outstanding margin of 18.7. The Dutchmen were the best at keeping control of the ball in conference games with a conference-low 86 turnovers and an excellent 93-109 on clear attempts. The Dutchmen recorded a program-record seven turnovers in three games this year, including against the Cougars two weeks ago.
 
Hana Neff has led the defense this year with 15 caused turnovers and 28 ground balls. The senior has also scored 10 goals and dished out two assists. Hayley Cowles is also a big part of the defensive unit and has 11 caused turnovers and 25 ground balls. Katie Giusti and come on late in the year to provide strong defense in her first year with eight caused turnovers and 12 ground balls. Grace Marchese has picked up 11 ground balls and caused seven turnovers while Allison Keeney has six caused turnovers and 15 ground balls and Julia Lancellotti adds five caused turnovers and eight ground balls. Maddie Young, Anna Ridlon, and Amy Tinsman have seen action this year in helping out the defensive unit.
 
In goal, Jamie Handwerger has been excellent in her first year at The Valley having been named the MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week twice. She is 11-6 with 137 saves and a .407 save percentage. The rookie has hit double-digit saves in six games including a season-high 14 against Susquehanna.

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